Man denies killing his journalist wife

May 16, 2011 12:00 am

Mr Otieno who is being represented by lawyer Cliff Ombetta pleaded not guilty to the murder charge at the Milimani Law courts on Monday and urged the court to reduce it to manslaughter.

The journalist who appeared before Justice Nicholas Ombija is accused of having murdered his wife in Umoja estate on May 1 after a quarrel over domestic issues.

The case will come up for mention on May 30 when the Attorney General will consider Mr Otieno’s application to have the murder charge reduced to manslaughter.

Hearing has been set for November 21.

The late Ms Wambui’s body was discovered hours after the murder in the family’s bedroom by their house maid. Mr Otieno went missing after the incident and only resurfaced three days later when he surrendered himself at the Naivasha police station.

The family\’s house help told police that she heard the man telling his two-year old son that he was going to town and would be back later that evening.

Unaware that the woman had been killed and her body locked in the bedroom, the house help and the little boy went about their business until late in the evening when she suspected something was terribly wrong and informed neighbours who called the police.

The late Wambui\’s body was found lying on her bed, with strangulation marks on her neck.

Mr Otieno surrendered to the police in Naivasha days later. According to the Rift Valley Provincial Police Officer (PPO) Francis Munyambu, the suspect told police he learnt that he was being sought after reading newspapers and watching television.

Another officer said that the suspect had told the police he surrendered because he feared he may be killed because he was being sought by the police.

On Wednesday last week it emerged that late Wambui was seeking a way out of her troubled marriage, according to communication with a non-governmental organisation that deals with domestic violence.

Facebook messages seen by Capital News between the late Wambui and Women Against Domestic Violence Chairperson Lorraine Kirigia and Founder Caroline Gikunda indicated that she was desperate to leave her matrimonial home due to what she termed as “an abusive relationship.”

According to the messages, the late Wambui had indicated that her husband, Moses Dola Otieno was to leave on May 2 for almost two years.